Drop in middle-aged male attendance at sporting-events

Research has shown that males aged 40-50 years in North America, have the highest drop in attendance at major sporting events.

I believe this is occurring because this is a very busy age for men. They typically have older children, possibly teens, they’re married, they own a house, and they have a full-time job. With older children, the demand for attention is still very high. They may need transportation to school, friend’s houses, extra-curricular activities, and a even a part-time job, depending on their age. They are at the peak of their careers and probably making more money than they ever have in their life. So why are they not attending sporting events?

They simply don’t have the time to do so. When they have their weekends off, the last thing they want to do is leave the house. They want to stay home and relax — but they are probably much too busy to get any relaxation time in. Every household has a television, so why not just stay in the comfort of their own home to watch the game rather than pay the extra money to be in a stadium.

So, while this demographic has the money, they don’t have the time. So what can event owners do to compensate for the drop in attendance? They may have to increase ticket prices so that the remaining people who do still attend the events, will be forced to pay a higher price. They can increase prices on food and beverages. They may even have to change their advertising techniques in order to draw this demographic back in. Advertising on television, sending out flyers, creating radio ads; they all have the potential to be affective and bring this demographic back to the stadium.